Awning-blind.



D. J. GAMPP.

AWNING BLIND.

APPLICATION EILED APR.8.1915- Patented Jan. 1, 1918..

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5 v1 uamtoz f D. J. GAMPP.

AWNING BLIND.

APPLICATION men APR. 2, 1915.

1 251 ,QQQB Patented Jan. 1, 1918,

2 SHEETS-HEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENtr-oFmoE.

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AWNING-BLIND.

Specification of Letters ratent.

Application filed April 8, 1915. Serial No. 19,886.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, DAVID J. GAMPP, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kane, in the county of McKean and State of Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Awning-Blinds, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in suitable screens to be usedveither as awnings or blinds for windows, doors or other openings inbuildings.

The main object of the invention 18 to provide a structure which canplaced at any desired position as an awmng and also in the usualposition as a. blind by the same operative means.

A further object of this mvention Is to provide a structure that canfolded to compact form against the building or support when not in use,and at the same tlme adapted to shed water eifectively when placed inposition to be used either as an awning or as a blind.

A further object of this invention is to provide convenient means ofoperation, by which the structure can be placed inthe several desiredpositions from that of a vertical position as a blind, to that of afolded position, by the same operative means.

A further object of this invention is to provide a structure which canbe made of either woodand metal, or wholly of metal, and whenconstructed of metal may be adapted to be used as a fire proof shutteror as a fire door.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, my invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts, and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed. It being understood that changes in the preciseembodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within thescope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, attention is herebydirected to the accompanying drawings forming a part of thisspecification, and in which,

Figure 1 is an inner face view of the invention, illustrating it asclosing the entire window.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation showing same in closed position as a blind.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing device folded at the top of thewindow.

Fig. 4 isa side elevation showing the device in position as an awn1ng.,

.Fig. 5 is an enlar 'ed side elevation of the slat members with ockingmeans.

F ig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the slat joiningmembers.

In the drawings I have shown my invention in the preferred form appliedto the ordinary window of a building, but it is to be understood thatthere are other uses for my invention, and the precise form herein shownneed not be followed in every.

instance, the structure to which I have shown my invention applied,consists of a window casing 1, consisting of the side frames 2 and 3,and the upper and lower sills 4 and 5.

As shown, the awning structure proper consists. of a plurality of planes6, mounted in such way that they will turn axially upon their support.For this purpose I have pro- I vided the bars or levers 12, in pairs towhich the ends of the planes are secured in any suitable manner, Iprefer to secure them however in the manner shown by flattening thatportion of the lever 12, which comes in contact with the planes 6 and bysuitable In the uppermost plane 6 the supports are in the form of adowel pin, and in the next lower plane, the supports are of-the designas above indicated, comprising a pair of levers 12, and for eachsucceeding downwardly positioned plane the pair of levers 12 are of aprogressively increasing length, and the levers of the lowest plane 6,being greater than the rest. gradual increase in the length of thelevers 12, is to cause or permit the planes to overlap when the awningis folded, so that the second planefrom the top 6 will overlap the-topone 8, the third plane 6 will overlap the first and second, etc., andthe lower- The purpose of the most plane 6 will therefore be arrangedwith bars of suitable length to permit it to overlap all of the planesabove it.

To raise the blind, or to adapt it to be suspended as an awning, asshown in Fig. 4, I provide a flexible metallic belt 13, adapted to be atthe one end, securely attached at the edge of the lowermost plane 6, andto extend upwardly passing through the aperture 14: in the stationarypanel 8 at the top of the window and thence to be made fast to a roller15, suitably suspended in journaled brackets 16-16 for rotativemovement. As the roller 15 is rotated the belt 13 is wound thereon inthe guiding race 17 by which operation, the lowermost panel 6 is movedfrom the position shown in Fig. 2, to that position shown in Fig. 4,when it is desired to place the structure in position as an awning. Bycontinuing the rotation of the roller 15 the outermost panel 6 will bemoved to the position shown in Fig. 3, showing the structure in a foldedposition.

For the purposes of facilitatin the rotative movement of'the roller 15,provide for placing on one end thereof a sprocket wheel 18, and on thelower sill 5 of the window a suitable bracket 19, having a horizontallextended spindle 20. Mounted on the spindle 20 and adapted for rotativemovement, I mount a sprocket wheel 21, and connecting the sprocketwheels 18 and 21 is a sprocket chain 22, mounted on the sprocket wheel21 and adapted to give rotative movement thereto is a crank 23. For thepurposes of maintaining the roller 15 in any fixed rotative position Iprovide the pawls 24 adapted to engage any given link of the chain 22,for the purpose of holding it in a stationarv position.

I have provided means for retaining the several planes in spacedrelation when the awnin is down, and adapted to constitute a blind andfor this purpose; I provide a novel device comprising the clip 7 shownin Fig. 6.

When the planes 6 are com osed of wood, I prefer to make the clip ofbrass or other non-corrosive metal and as shown in Fig- 6, it is formedwith a vertical face 25, havin suitable rivet or screw holes 26 forattaching it to the wooden slat forming the plane 6. Extending outwardlyin a horizontal position at the bottom of the face 25 is a projectingledge 27 having an upturned flange 28 the distance between the flange 28and the vertical face 25 is substantially that of the thickness of thepanel forming the plane 6. Extending outwardly from the upper edge ofthe face 25 is a horizontally disposed flange 29. Projecting downwardlyfrom the flange 29 is a tongue 30. Located within the vertical face 25of the clip 7, is a U shaped slot 31 which forms the tongue shapedmember 32. Located in the lower projecting ledge 27 is a rectangularaperture 33 diagrammatically shown in Fig. 6.

In the adaptation of the clip 7, in its operative form, the tongue 32 isdepressed m a pocket formed in the slat comprising the plane 6, in suchmanner that, that portion of the lower edge of the vertical face 25 below the U shaped slot, and extending to the rectangular aperture 33,will form a horizontal bar or stirrup 34, with which the ton e 30 of'thelower contiguous plane will register and be supported when the planes 6-are in the relative position shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 5, wherein thestructure is shown used as a blind.

By the novel construction of the clip 7, I provide locking means forretaining the several planes in spaced relation when the structure isused as a blind, and which will also permit the same to automaticallydisengage the locking means when the structure is being elevated towardthe position of being folded.

When the structure is comprised wholly of metal, the locking and spacingfeatures provided for by the clip 7, maybe formed integral with themetal panel, that is, I may dispense with the separate member comprisingthe clip 7, and I may form within the panel 6, the supporting stirrup34, and also provide for the tongue 30, to be formed from an extensionfrom the upper edge of the panel, in fixed relative position to registerwith the stirrup 34 of the next upper anel.

When the structure is being elevate to be folded above the window asshown in Fig.

3, as the lower most plane 6 moves in an upward and outward positiondescribing I an arc, the contiguous upper plane will likewise move inthe path of an arc, and will have an outward sliding movement across theface of the lowermost plane, thus disengaging the tongue 30 of the lowerplane from the stirrup 34 of the upper contiguous plane. The sameoperation of disengaging the tongue 30 from the respective stirrup 34 ofthe contiguous planes will be in process of operation throughout thevarious contiguous planes.

To provide for effectively locking the blind in a closed position, Iattach to the inside face of'the lower panel 6, a spring actuatedlocking pawl 35, adapted for looking engagement with the member 36,securely fastened to the lower'sill 5. The spring 37 yieldingly holdsthe pawl in locked position, and is adapted to be automaticallycompressed as the pawl 35, rides upward on the member 36, in the closingoperation of the movement of the lower panel 6.

' To provide a housing to extend over the assembled panels when foldedin the position shown in Fig. 3, I provide for extending outwardly fromthe upper sill 4, having.

a slightly downward deflection, a cover member 38. Attached to the covermember 38 are vertically disposed brackets 39, attached to the cover bysuitable hinges 40, providing means whereby the brackets 39 may befolded in a horizontal position above the several assembled panels asshown.

lVhen the structure is in the position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, thebrackets 39 are placed in a vertical position and when so placed add tothe appearances of the housing comprising the cover member 38 as well asaffording a shield against the possibility of rain beating in againstthe top panel 8, and finding its way between the contiguous edges of thepanel 8 and the panel 6.

In constructing my apparatus wholly of metal, or of fire resistingmaterial, I may adapt the same to be used as a fire proof shutter or forclosing necessary openings in fire resisting bulkheads, commonly placedin walls between manufacturing plants and their store houses, or otheradjacent buildings whichmay contain more or less inflammatory material,and when so placed may be adapted to form a roof or storm cover, overthe walkway between the factory and store room, for the protection ofworkmen in going to and from. the store house.

hen my apparatus is to be used as means for fire protection, I mayprovide for connecting its operative means for lowering the same, in anysuitable way, with any of the automatic devices well known in the art,for closing fire doors, operative through the application of a givendegree of heat to a rheostat or other forms of heat operated mediums.

The operation is as follows: Assuming that the structure is in theposition shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and serving as a blind for closing inthe entire window, and it is desired to open the same, the pawl 35 ismoved to disengage itself from the'keeper 36, which allows the panel 6,to move outward and to swing in a vertical plane on the pair ofsupporting levers l2. The crank 23, is rotated which, through thesprocket 21, operating the sprocket chain 22, connecting the sprocketwheel 18, rotates the roller 15. As the roller 15 is rotated so as towind the flexible member 13, thereon, the pull on this flexible member,will cause the lower panel 6, to, swing outwardly and upwardly causingthe other panel members to fold on one another as shown in Fig. 4. Whenthe desired elevation of the lower panel 6, has been reached, toproperly shade the sunlight from the window, the engaging dog 24, isplaced in contact to register with the proper link of the sprocket chain22, and to thereby hold the awning in the position desired.

When it is desired to fully elevate the structure above the window, theroller 15 is further rotated, until the flexible member 13 has beenwound thereon to such an'extent as to draw the panel 6, from theposition shown in Fig. 4, to that position shown in Fig. 3.

n the operation of elevating the structure from the position shown inFig. 2, to the position shown in Fig. 4, it will be observed that therewill be a forward sliding movement of each panel over the next lowersupporting panel, which will cause a disengagement of the tongue 30,projecting from the lower panel, from that of the connecting bar orstirrup 34, of the next contiguous upper panel. This disengagingmovement will be gradual, and will be consummated at or about the time,when each pair of contiguous panels have assumed substantially thehorizontal position, and while the members 30 and 34 have becomedisengaged, the various panels will be supported in their outwardlyextended position by resting upon the next lower panel, and thelowermost panel 6 will have for its supporting means, the flexiblemember 13.

With a continuation of the rotative movement of the roller15,the'flexible member 13 will continue the rotative movement of thepanel 6, until all of the overlapping panels have had their respectivelocking means disengaged and the panels have been folded gene upon theother, in the position shown in When it is desired to again lower thestructure, obviously rotating the roller 15, in an inverse direction,will allow each panel to swing outwardly from the position shown in'Fig.3, and in such outward movement, the lower panels will slide outwardlyon each upper panel in such manner that the tongue 30 on the lower panelwill lockingly engage the stirrup 34, on the next upper or contiguouspanel, thereby automatically connecting the panels as the structure hasgradually been moved to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. I

It will be obvious that many changes may be made in the arrangement of,and the construction of the various parts without departing from thespirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

1. An awning comprising a plurality of panels, a pair of supportingelements for each panel pivotally mounted for oscillating movement in avertical plane, means for'actuating the oscillation of the supportingmeans to elevate the panels comprising a flexible member connected tothe lowermost I substantially in a plane, the distances between theslats and their axes progressively increasing from top to bottom,whereby the slats when in lowered position lie consecutively in a planeand when swung upwardly about their axes, they terminate in a foldedposition, wherein the lower edge of each panel will lie in a planecommon to all.

3. An awning comprising a series of slats each pivoted about an axisabove the slat, the axes of said slats lying consecutively substantiallyin a plane, the distances between the slats and their axes progressivelyincreasing from top to bottom whereby the slats when\ in loweredposition lie consecutively in a plane and when swung upwardly abouttheiriaxes, they terminate in a folded position, wherein the lower edgeof each panel will lie in a plane common to all, with meansfiordnterlocking the contiguous 2c edges of the panels, loecomingoperative as the panels assume their unfolded position.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

DAVID J. GAMPP. Witnesses:

C. V. GILLIS, PEARLE Jones.

